1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a stable food product and to products produced by the process. More particularly, the invention relates to a process for making a snack food product wherein all or substantially all of the moisture is derived from the flavor source; the addition of excess make-up water is avoided, thus improving the retention of natural flavors and textures.
2. Description of the Background Art
A variety of flavored snack food products are available on the market today and are very popular consumer items. Chip-type products flavored with various spices and with different cheeses are especially well-known. Such products are produced both from intact slices, such as potato slices, as well as from extruded pastes or doughs, such as ground corn-based dough. Fruit flavored snack foods typically have been made by dehydrating pieces of fruit, blending them with water and the dry ingredients which will be used to make the chip, and then extruding the blended mixture and further processing the extrudate. Although this process produces an acceptable product, some of the flavor and texture of the fruit pieces is lost in the dehydration-rehydration process. The steps of dehydrating and then rehydrating the fruit also can be time-consuming, and add to the cost of the final product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,437 (Citti et al.; Apr. 15, 1980), relates to the production of a french fry-like potato product by extruding a potato dough into the desired shape. The potato dough is prepared from a combination of riced, blanched potatoes, dehydrated potatoes (e.g. granulated potato flakes) and an emulsifier in appropriate proportions to arrive at a dough of between about 60 to 75 percent by weight of water.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,937,848 (Campbell et al., Feb. 10, 1976) and 3,935,322 (Weiss et al., Jan. 27, 1976) relate to the production of "fabricated" chips from, for example, potato flakes and/or granules and water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,706 (Hilton; Nov. 21, 1978) also relates to the production of snack food products from extruded doughs. The doughs are prepared, for example, from dehydrated potato flakes or granules.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,118 (Thomas; Jan. 12, 1988) relates to snack food products made from a mixture of water and low-fat dairy cheese or milk curd. The mixture is sheeted, partially dried and then puffed. The use of farinaceous ingredients is discouraged.
Many of the prior art snack food products are prepared from doughs produced by rehydrating dehydrated flakes, granules and the like which have been prepared from vegetables, particularly starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn. As known to those skilled in the art, the production of such flakes and granules includes the step of gently macerating the vegetable. The macerating step must be relatively gentle, substantially avoiding the destruction of the cell walls, so that excessive starch is not released. Excessive starch produces a very gummy, pasty mass which is difficult or impossible to flake or granulate. Unfortunately, this gentle macerating step also fails to release a portion of the flavor of the fruit which, like the starch component, is contained within the walls of individual cells.
The snack food products produced from extruded doughs usually are cooked virtually immediately. The pre-cooked product is not suitable for transport over long distances to off-site cooking facilities, as the high moisture content tends to promote rapid spoiling. Freezing the pre-cooked product often is the only means for stabilizing the moisture and safely permitting such transport.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simplified process for making a stable snack food product from a high moisture raw material wherein the original pulp, juice or other flavor-containing component of the high moisture material can be used, rather than dehydrating the component and then recreating the original moisture by adding water to the dehydrated product. Another object of this invention is to provide a simplified process for making a stable snack food product from a liquid product wherein the liquid product provides the required flavor and moisture. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a process for preparing a stable pre-cooked snack food "pellet" product which can be shipped over long distances without the need for refrigeration, and then subsequently cooked and packaged.